Chair



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheefi; L.

G. E..'LORD.

CHAIR.

No. 408,118. Patented July 30, 1889* w W a I H N, PETERS. Phnlo-Lithognphar, Washingian, 0,0,

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-sheaf 2. G. E. LORD.

GHAIR.

Patented July 30, 1889.

Wwunnm I 1 mill" (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

, G. E. LORD.

- CHAIR. v No. 408,118. Patented July 30, 1889.

UNITED STATES AiENT FFICE.

GEORGE E. LORD, OF UTIOA, NEXV YORK.

CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 408,118, dated July 30, 1889.

Application filed March 6, 1889- Serial No. 302,092. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. LORD, of Utica, in the county of Oneida and State of New York, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Chairs; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in chairs having foot-rests, and more particularly to that class in which the back is made adjustable from an upright to a reclining position.

Prior to myinvention chairs have been devised having an'adjustable back, which latter was maintained in an upright position by means of springs. Vith such prior constructions the springs were attached directly to the back at its bottom and have proved very unreliable and weak. Other chairs of this class have been proposed in which the back has to be lifted from the reclining position by the occupant and held in such position by means of rack-bars and pawls, which were more or less exposed, thus giving the chair a cumbersome and untidy appearance. Foot-rests have also been provided previous to my in* vention; but they have in most cases consisted of a single frame or support, and their extension was very limited and insufficient to support the feet and ankles of persons above the average height.

It is the object of my present invention to overcome the objections of prior devices and to produce a chair havin an adjustable back: the inclination of which may be regulated by the occupant without undue exertion or the necessity of changing his position.

A further object is to provide a chair having a reclining back, which shall be simple in construction, easy and effective in operation, and not liable to get out of order. I

A further object is to so construct a chair .havin g a reclining back that the mechanism for operating the back will be hid from view, and therefore not disfigure the general appearance of the chair.

A further object is to provide a foot-rest that can be closed and placed under the seat without disfiguring the appearance of the chair.

A further object is to so construct the footrest that it will not so obstruct the front of the chair that a person would have to step over or outside of said rest in order to sit upon the chair.

A further object is to provide a foot-rest capable of being extended sufficiently to support the feet of the occupant of the chair.

A further object is to provide a foot-rest which shall be adjustable as to height. lVith these objects in view my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and peculiar combinations and arrangements of parts, as hereinafter set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the chair having my improved foot-rest applied thereto and in position for use. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the chair through one arm thereof, showing the mechanism for operating the chair-back. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the spring used to lift the back into position.

Fig.4.is a detached view of the lever connecting the back to the spring. Fig. 5 is a detached view of the plate by means of which the spring is attached to the frame. Fig. 6 is a detached sectional view of the shell or case in which the bolt and spring are worked and held in position. Fig.7 is a detached view of the bolt and spring for locking the chair-back at any desired inclination. Fig. 8 is a detached view of a guard-plate to receive the bolt. Fig. 9 is a vertical sectional view through the arm of the chair, showing the position of thelocking-bolt. Fig. 1.0 is a perspective view of the footrest, showing also a portion of the chair-frame, the cushion-frame being folded in the proper position for closing under the chair. Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the foot-rest detached from the chair, showing the manner in which it is extended and adjusted in height. Fig. 12 is a view of the bracket for supporting the cushion-frame and its connecting yoke or frame. Fig. 13 is a detached view of the connecting yoke or frame for the foot-rest. Fig. 14 is a detached view of the rack with which the connecting yoke or frame engages.

A represents the frame of the seat of the chair, having front legs a and rear legs 7) secured thereto in an y desired manner. Hinged or pivoted to the rear legs 1), preferably somewhat above the seat A, is a back B, a portion of the side bars of which are cut away, so that said bars may lie close to the frame of the chair when the back is in an upright position.

Secured to the seat-frame A, near its forward end, is a plate 0, having a rib c to align with the top edge of the frame A, and perforations through which fastening devices may be passed for securin the plate to said frame. Projecting inwardly from the plate 0, near its top, is a pin 0, upon which is coiled one end of a spring D,.the free end of said spring being inserted in a perforation c in plate 0. The spring D, after coiling about the pin 0', is extended upwardly and secured at its upper free end to one end of a lever E. The front end of this lever is curved, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, and provided on the upper edge of such curved portion with notches cl, to produce a rack-bar E. The remaining portion of the lever is preferably made straight and pivoted in a slot (1, made in one of the side bars of the back B, said lever being capable of reciprocating motion when the chair-back is moved back and forth.

Secured to the chair-frame between the seat-frame A and arm-rest A is an upright bar A having a transverse perforation c, Fig. 9. Passing through the perforation e is a case or shell F, having an annular flange at one end adapted to bear against the face of the bar A and be secured thereto by means of suitable fastening devices.

One end of the shell F is open, while the other end is partially closed to produce an annular bearing 6 for a coiled spring F, inserted in the shell. Passing through the spring F and shell F is a bolt H, having a knob f at one end, which projects through the upholstering of the chair-arm, and a head f at the other end, said head being of sufficient size to enter the notches of the rack-bar E and retain said bar, and consequently-the back B, at any desired adjustment or inclination.

Secured to the inner face of the upright bar A, and bridging over the rack-bar E, is a plate G, having a slot g in its face for the reception of the head f when it is pressed out of engagement with the rack-bar E.

It will be seen that when it is desired to recline the back of the chair it is simply necesary to press upon the knob f of the bolt H and lean backward in the chair. When the occupant of the chair wishes to raise the back, he presses the knob f of the bolt H, and thus releases the rack-bar E, when the force of the spring C will raise the back B to its upright position,where it will be held secure by means of the bolt l-I.

Fixed to the under portion of the cha r frame A .are two guides or ways I, having grooves h to receive the rabbeted edges of a sliding block I. A hanger J is secured to the front end of the sliding block I and provided with a right-angled flange at its top, which projects into a recess made in the block. The laterally projecting curved arms 7/ of the hanger J are intended to support and guide the rodsjjof a yoke K. To the free forward ends of the rods i of yoke K ablock K is pivoted, to which latter the cushion-frame K of the foot-rest is secured. The cross-bar i at the rear end of the yoke K passes through a curved slot It in a plate L, secured to the under face of the block I by means of lugs i integral with said plate. Two pins 1' project from said cross-bar and embrace a portion of the plate L, thus producing guides for the yoke.

At the extreme rear end of the curved slot of plate L is a notch Z,with which the crossbar 1' of yoke K is adapted to engage when the foot'rest is folded beneath the chair. The upper wall of the curved slot 70, near the front end of the plate, is furnished with a series of notches Z, to produce, in effect, a curved rackbar. Thus it will be seen that when the footrest K is pulled out the cross-bar of yoke K in traversing the groove in plate L becomes slightly lowered, and consequently the footrest will be elevated, and may be retained at any desired adjustment by engagement of the yoke K with the notches of plate L.

lVhen it is desired to slide the foot-rest under the chair, the cushion-frame is made to assume the position shown in Fig. 10, and the whole is then slid under the chair-seat.

The construction of foot rest above described is very simple, occupies but little room, and is not in the way of persons getting into and out of the chair.

Slight changes might be made in the constructive details of my invention without departing from the spirit thereof; hence I do not wish to limit myself to the precise details of construction herein described; but,

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with a chair, of aback hinged thereto, a horizontal reciprocating lever pivoted at one end to the chair-back, a plate secured to the frame-work and provided with a perforation, a pin projecting from the plate, and a spring attached at one end to the free end of the horizontal reciprocating lever and at its other end coiled about the pin on the plate, the free end of said spring being inserted in the perforation in said plate, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with a chair, of aback hinged thereto, a notched lever pivoted at one end to the back and extending beneath an arm of the chair without contact therewith,-

a bar secured to the frame, a shell passing through said bar, a spring incased within the shell, a bolt passing through the shell in engagement with the spring and adapted to engage the notches of the lever, and a spring connecting the lever and chairfralne, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with a chair, of a back hinged thereto, a lever having notches pivoted to said back, an upright bar secured to the frame, a shell passing through said bar,

a spring-sustained bolt passing through said shell and adapted to engage the notches of the lever, a plate secured to said upright barhaving a slot to receive the head of the bolt, and a spring secured at one end to the lever and at the other end to the chair-frame, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, With a chair-frame, of a block mounted to slide in ways beneath the seat, a hanger having laterally projecting curved arms secured to one end of said block and projecting below the under face thereof, a yoke adapted to slide upon said arms of the hanger and bear against the under face of the sliding block, and a foot-rest pivoted to the free end of the yoke, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with a chair-frame, of a sliding block mounted therein, a notched plate secured to said block, a yoke carried by the block and adapted to engage the notched plate, and a foot-rest attached to said yoke, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination, with a chair-frame, of a sliding block mounted therein, a curved notched plate secured to said block, a yoke carried by the block and adapted to engage the notches of the curved plate, and a footrest attached to said yoke, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination, With a chair-frame, of a sliding block carried thereby, a notched plate secured to the under side of said block, a yoke carried by the block and adapted to engage the notched plate, guide-pins on said yoke and embracing a portion of the plate, and a foot-rest pivoted to said yoke, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

GEORGE E. LORD.

\Vitnesses: 7 WILLIAM E. LATIMER, J. M. CHUBBUCK. 

